Morphological analysis of vessels from the early iron age burial ground Bystrovka-1 (Novosibirsk region)

Purpose. The article presents our analysis of the morphological features of vessels from Bystrovka-1 site burial mounds. T. N. Troitskaya and A. P. Borodovsky attributed the site to the Bol’sherechenskaya culture and dated the inventory as the 3rd-2nd centuries BC. We aimed at identifying the morphological tradition of the vessels. Results. Morphological and statistical analyses of the vessels’ forms were carried out on 49 ceramic vessels from 11 mounds. We used a set of methods including the «Program of statistical processing of ceramics from archaeological excavations» by V. F. Gening, calculation of the general proportionality forms by A. A. Bobrinsky, the method of studying profiles by H. A. Nordström and the method of comparing basic proportions by A. O. Shepard. In funeral practice, no clear preference for form was stated. In our collection 25 (51 %) vessels had a neck, 24 (49 %) were without a neck, and 16 items (33 %) were round-bottomed. An «ideal» vessel for Bystrovka-1 site is a vessel of medium or low height, with a very low wide neck, weakly or very strongly profiled, with a flattened or rounded body, of varying height, with a weakly or very strongly convex shoulder and a wide bottom. These data prove the existence of certain standards in the proportions for vessels typical for a particular site. Our new data, which were not previously used in the analysis of product categories, allow us to refer the series of vessels to a single morphological tradition. The fact of finding morphologically similar vessels in one grave, in the graves of one mound, or in the mounds located in close proximity to each other confirms that the vessels were produced at a certain time interval, i.e. the time of the «school» which introduced the standards. We identified groups of vessels created or being in use at the same time in Bystrovka1 burial ground. For example, vessels № 5, 6, 13 and 48 constitute a chain of one morphological group and were found in burrows № 1, 3, 12 and 15. These barrows are located at some distance from each other, but we determine their functioning simultaneously or during a fairly short period of time. Our results are supported by drawings of «half-skeletons» of the vessels. The graphs provided clearly show that the products of one row, when brought to a uniform height, have almost the same profile with slight deviations in the upper part. Consequently, the fact of simultaneous functioning of this group of mounds is confirmed. Conclusion. In the ceramic complex of the Bystrovka-1 site the majority of vessels have habitual forms, which indicates a certain stability of the pottery tradition. However, there are also some imitations of forms that indicate the change and continuing internal development of the pottery tradition or the inclusion of other cultural elements. According to A. P. Borodovsky, such ceramics is an indirect indicator of transition to a sedentary nomadic culture.